Written by Tyler DiGiovanni | BSBM
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
For a lot of people, losing weight is at the forefront of their mind when it comes to their fitness journey. Let's be honest, most people are not happy with their weight and want to lose some poundage but lack the motivation to accomplish this. What could possibly be a good enough motivator to keep someone on track? How about getting paid to lose weight?
Now you might be asking yourself, is this real? Can I really get paid to lose weight? This sounds too good to be true but that is what the people at HealthyWage have been offering for the past thirteen years. With over $20 million paid out over the course of the company's existence, there are enough happy customers to sing its praises.
Let's get into this HealthyWage review.
What is HealthyWage?
HealthyWage was founded in 2009 by David Roddenberry and James Fleming, and in its thirteen years of existence, it has become a leader in providing effective corporate and consumer weight loss programs. Making a name for themselves by administering company-wide initiatives at dozens of Fortune 500 companies, larger public employers, and smaller organizations, HealthyWage has helped nearly 500,000 people lose weight.
They take a more holistic approach to weight loss, focusing on social and personal conditions that contribute to the causes of obesity. Looking at lifestyle choices such as the health of their social circle (if family and friends are overweight, there is a tendency for people to fall into the same habits), addictions and the effects from it, and the availability of unhealthy, cheap food options. One of the main focuses of their approach is to combine a mix of behavioral economics, sociological conditions, and technology to combat these common causes.
Their most well-known programs appear as weight loss challenges that are tied to financial incentives. These challenges set specific weight loss goals, utilize a predetermined timeframe, and draw on a combination of loss aversion and financial reward. Nobody wants to lose money, so that may provide the motivation needed for someone to be successful in their weight loss journey. Also put into effect is an accountability angle by tying the challenge into social networks which helps keep people committed.
As mentioned before, these programs take into account people's personal struggles, such as addiction (food or otherwise), and try to build an understanding of them so they can conquer their goal of trying to lose weight and keep it off with a sustainable, long-term relationship with healthy food choices.
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HealthyWage Review
In this HealthyWage review we wanted to clearly paint the picture of how it works and what you can expect if you decide to give it a go. In this post we cover:
- HealthyWage Challenges
- How Healthy Wage Works
- How You Get Paid By Healthy Wage
- Online Reviews Of HealthyWage
- HealthyWage Complaints
- HealthyWage Alternatives
- HealthyWage FAQs
HealthyWage Challenges:
There are a number of challenges that you can attempt on HealthyWage to win money while losing weight. Below are the options you have whether you want to go at it alone or with a team, the choice is yours.
1) HealthyWager
The most popular program is called HealthyWager which allows HealthyWage participants to bet on the success of their weight loss journey. The bet is set at a minimum time frame of six months, which is believed to be enough time to build lasting habits to keep the participant on a healthy lifestyle track.
The program also requires a weight loss of at least 10% of their body weight to be considered a success i.e. a 200lb person will have to lose at least 20lb.
Currently, HealthyWager is partnering with Jillian Michaels for meal planning and fitness programs to try to continue to improve the system and assist people in weight loss success.
2) Team Challenges
There are also Team Challenges, in which a team of five competes to lose the highest percentage of weight. The first-place team receives $10,000, second place receives $5,000 and third place receives $2,000 to be split amongst the members of the team.
These challenges give more incentive from peer motivation, since it's not just a personal goal, because everyone needs to do their fair share. The cost of the challenge is set at $25 per month for the three months or a total of $75 if the challenge is through a company, if it isn't through a company the fee is $33 per month or $99 for the entire duration. If you've lost 10% of your body weight after six months, you will be reimbursed for your registration fee.
3) Jackpot Challenges
Jackpot Challenges are community-based challenges. These are made up of either an individual challenge or team challenge and can vary in length and cost. These challenges have a specific weight loss goal such as 4% or 6% of your body weight and will range from one month to three. The "jackpot" is made up of all the participants' invested money and is split up and paid out to everyone that is successful in the challenge.
HealthyWage does take 25% of the pot for administrative fees, and the remainder of the cash prize is then split. Participants can be weighed in and out by using the app and a HealthyWage referee, or have a printable form signed by an official witness such as a health professional.
4) Step Challenges
The last challenges are Step Challenges. You can be signed up as an individual or as a team and function in a similar way to the jackpot challenges. If you do sign up for the challenge as an individual, you will be placed on a team by the HealthyWage staff.
The main difference in this fitness challenge is you get paid by completing step requirements. The goal is for a team to hit an average of 1 million steps in 100 day period, or 300,000 in a 30 day period, so roughly 10,000 steps per day per individual. A fitness tracker such as a FitBit or smartphone is required to be able to accurately track your steps. This is a great way to get paid extra money by getting out and being more active.
Participants can take part in up to ten challenges simultaneously which can really keep you motivated to lose the weight you desire while increasing your potential winnings.
HealthyWage encourages people to get their friends and family involved. For every person you refer that makes a HealthyWage challenge, you will get an extra $40 in your prize winnings. So if you refer ten people to take the challenge to lose weight, that would be an extra $400 going to you upon successful completion of your personal weight loss goal.
How Does HealthyWage Work?
To get started with HealthyWage, there is a simple four-step process.
Step 1. Use the HealthyWage calculator to enter how much weight you would like to lose and calculate your winnings.
Winnings can range from $100-$10,000. The calculator asks you to input what your desired weight loss would be, how many months you think you need to accomplish that goal (as mentioned previously, a minimum of six months is required), and how much your monthly wager will be. Changing the settings on the calculator will change how much money falls into the prize range. See how much much you could make using the HealthyWage calculator.
Step 2. Make the bet.
After playing around with the calculator, you will be asked to enter your personal stats starting with initial weight, height, and gender. You'll then be asked if your wager matches your ideal weight, and if it doesn't you're given a chance to edit your weight loss goal. Your weight loss goal must be more than 10% of your current weight.
The onboarding process then will give you the forecasted date of completion and weight as well as the midway point date and weight to make sure you're on the right trajectory. The next prompt will ask if you want to make adjustments to match up with the CDC recommended 1-2lb per week weight loss.
The prize calculator will then ask for your motivations for losing weight, then follow up with some scientifically backed information on the efficacy of a wager-based weight loss challenge along with a testimonial from a previous winner. One final prompt will ask you about your ability to stick with a diet followed up by another testimonial.
To get the final prize amount you enter a valid e-mail address, from there you can decide whether or not you would like to go through with making your bet. If you decide to go for it, you have the option of either paying one lump sum upfront or on a monthly basis.
Step 3. Start your weight loss challenge
You will need to complete a weigh-in at the start of the challenge as well as the end. This can be done by downloading their app and having one of their referees witness your weigh-in or sending in a verification video to HealthyWage's website. This is to combat people using inflated numbers for their starting weight. You have at minimum six months to complete your weight loss goals. HealthyWage does NOT monitor your weight loss during the process.
If you need extra time, there is the option to buy more time. This will give you a six-month extension in wagers and time. The added time and money paid into the wager does not change the final prize amount.
Step 4. Finish your challenge
Just like the initial weigh-in, the final weigh-in must be done on the app or by verification weigh-out video. If at the end of your allotted time, you weigh in and have hit your goal weight, you will get paid!
If your final weight doesn't meet the criteria you set for yourself, you will lose all the money you put into the challenge.
For those that did succeed, getting your hard earned prize money is quick and easy. Victors can choose to receive their money via check or PayPal.
How To Get Paid By HealthyWage?
Getting your cash prize money takes five simple steps.
1. Weigh out anytime within the two week period at the end of your challenge time with an approved method.
2. Upload a photo ID confirming it is you actually you and an electronic signature confirming you haven't cheated.
3. Fill out a W-9 online if needed for IRS tax purposes. HealthyWage does not take out any taxes for winnings, but any winnings over $600 will need to be filed with the IRS.
4. Choose your preferred payment method, check or PayPal. As per their website, HealthyWage does have a $7 processing fee for checks. There aren't any fees listed for PayPal, but standard PayPal fees may be applied. There is another option of having the "points" you accumulate go towards another challenge if you want to set a new weight loss goal.
5. Receive your prize money. Approximately 3 days for PayPal and 7 days for check.
HealthyWage Reviews:
Below are some places online where you can find people who've given a first-hand HealthyWage review feel free to see how HealthyWage deals with complaints or issues but in the majority of them are sorted out in an amicable way.
a) Better Business Bureau
HealthyWage isn't accredited with the Better Business Bureau, but has an A+ rating on their website. It also boasts a 4.86/5 star customer rating from 58 customer reviews.
b) Sitejabber
On Sitejabber, HealthyWage has a 4 star rating with 111 customer reviews. 78.9% of the reviews in the past 12 months have been favorable.
c) Reddit
The reviews on reddit tend to skew towards negative, while some people have found success, an overwhelming majority come across as the challenge leaving a bad taste in their mouth. That said, Reddit is infamous for people who want to hate on almost anything imaginable.
HealthyWage Testimonials:
User reviews can also be found on their webpage if you are looking for strictly positive aspects of the program from people that have taken part, as well as their press webpage to see the program featured on NPR, Good Morning America, Wall Street Journal, and many others.
HealthyWage Complaints:
The biggest complaints about HealthyWage on BBB were people feeling like they got the raw end of the deal if a medical problem arose which the response was generally that their policy is to pause the challenge if provided with the proper medical documentation, but they have a solid no refunds policy stated on the HealthyWage website, even if the customer would not be able to resume the challenge.
The other complaint that came up a lot had to do with the final weigh-out. These complaints were usually resolved with a clearer submission video.
Some complaints on that arose on Sitejabber were the perceived lack of support from HealthyWage after the start of a challenge. There are only optional unofficial weigh-ins to keep track of your progress, and most of the feedback or motivation comes from other participants on the forums of the site.
Another issue people have is with the "yo yo rule", which in basic terms is not being able to be paid for losing the same weight twice if you've won over $200.
So if you have already completed one challenge successfully, and end up with weight gain over your end weight within a certain amount of time, you will not be eligible to win money on your new challenge. The reasoning HealthyWage gives is that losing and gaining drastic amounts of weight in a short period of time is not healthy and being able to find challenging success should be the long-term goal of building healthy habits. They want participants to lose the weight permanently.
The general consensus on Reddit is that HealthyWage isn't trying to help you lose weight, but is actively hoping you fail so they can keep all of the money. If you don't meet one of the very strict criteria, it will null out your cash prizes. For example, if you lose more weight than the recommended 1-2lb a week, that will flag you as unhealthy weight loss and could be used to dispute your winnings.
For a team challenge, HealthyWage takes a 25% admin fee out of the cash pot, and the rest is split among the winners. A lot of users cited this as excessive since their cut will stay the same, but all the winners will get a fewer prize winnings amount due to the rest of the pot being divided further.
Alternatives to HealthyWage:
HealthyWage isn't the only game in town when it comes to challenges that pay you to lose weight. Below are a few other alternatives to HealthyWage.
1. DietBet
DietBet is one of the more well-known alternatives to HealthyWage that will pay you to lose weight. Dietbet gives its participants the ability to choose the path of losing 4% of their body weight in 28 days (Kickstarter), or 10% in 6 months (Transformer) for their weight loss goals.
They have a similar admin fee starting at 25% for monthly wagers between $0-$99, then ending at 10% at a monthly wager of $500 and over. DietBet will forfeit their cut if there are enough winners to make sure that nobody loses money after they've successfully lost the weight.
Unlike HealthyWage, the cash prize amount isn't known ahead of time. DietBet is a great alternative for people looking a short to medium-term challenge.
2. StepBet
StepBet is a shorter-term fitness program. Rather than focusing on a minimum weight loss goal, this program is designed to hit weekly step goals. The step goals are based on one source of steps that you have to stick with throughout the duration of the challenge.
The ability to win cash prizes is still a possibility albeit not as much as HealthyWager, with the average bet being put up of $40 for a six-week challenge. StepBet has the same policy as DietBet in that if you hit your fitness goal, you will at least get your wager money back.
StepBet relies on syncing an activity tracker such as a FitBit, Garmin Tracker, or Apple Watch to count your steps and make sure you're hitting your weekly goals.
3. Achievement
Achievement is a great way to earn a little bit of extra money without having to invest any of your own. After syncing your fitness tracker, this app will reward you with points for hitting step goals or logging your meals into MyFitnessPal.
Achievement utilizes more than 30 health services that you can use to add to your point total. This is nowhere as near as profitable as any of the other options, due to needing 10,000 points just to earn $10.
Users shouldn't expect to earn more than $20 a year and should know in advance that Achievement pays users with the money it gets from selling the data that's being input to partner companies. So if you need the extra motivation of earning a little bit of cash to do things you should likely be doing anyway, this might be a good choice for you.
HealthyWage FAQ:
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding HealthyWage...
Is HealthyWage Legitimate?
Yes! HealthyWage will pay you to lose weight if you meet all the criteria for the challenges. Just in the last 12 months, HealthyWage has paid out almost $10,000,000 in prize money.
How Much Does It Cost To Join HealthyWage?
The cost to participate in an individual challenge depends solely on what you are willing to wager. The program does require at least a $100 in total bet money, but you can choose the duration of your weight loss challenge.
How Much Can You Win On HealthyWage?
There are cash rewards for up to $10,000. The exact prize amount will depend on a variety of factors such as your height, weight, desired weight loss, and duration of the program. The higher your wager, the more money you'll be able to earn at the end of the program. Check out their prize calculator now!
Can you cheat HealthyWage?
It may be possible to cheat HealthyWage, but the HealthyWage team does everything they can to curb such behavior. The video weigh-ins and weigh-outs make it difficult to fudge the system, and if there is any question of the legitimacy further proof of the participant's weight will be requested.
How does HealthyWage verify your weight?
There are a couple different ways that HealthyWage can verify your weight. The first would be to use their app and have your weight confirmed by one of the HealthyWage "referees".
The second would be to take a video of yourself and the scale and submit it to their webpage. If there is any question of if the weigh-in or out was done improperly, such as the lighting not being clear, or the scale on a rug rather than a hard surface, then another video may be needed.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay HealthyWage?
If you don't pay HealthyWage, you will be disqualified from any challenge that you are participating in. Whether you decide to pay your entire wager up front, or utilize the monthly payment, the first payment is due before the program can start.
Remember, there are NO REFUNDS whatsoever in this program. The only way payments can be suspended are if the participant becomes pregnant or has a valid medical excuse from a health professional.
Is HealthyWage A Con?
No, this program is not a scam. This is a completely legitimate way to get paid to lose weight. There are specific criteria that need to be met, so anyone looking to participate should be aware of all of them before entering in a non-refundable HealthyWage challenge.
What’s The Catch On HealthyWage?
There is no catch. HealthyWage is a way to earn money while losing weight. The cash rewards are fixed from the beginning of the challenge for your own personal challenge but may shift for team challenges. The only thing people may see as a catch is the no refund policy, but that is there by design to encourage people not to quit after investing their own money in their weight loss.
Is HealthyWage A Gimmick?
HealthyWage isn't a gimmick. This is a legitimate way to earn money and lose weight at the same time. The company has been around for 13 years and has been successfully utilized by individuals and companies to encourage healthy weight loss in a competitive environment.
Though it is called a wager, there isn't any actually gambling involved since the results are driven through the hard work and commitment of the participant rather than luck. They will actually pay you to lose weight and ideally keep it off for the long run.
Summary of HealthyWage.com
If you want to lose weight but can only see yourself doing it successfully with a financial incentive, then HealthyWage may be a great choice for you. No one likes losing money, especially when they are in control of it.
Whether participating in an individual HealthyWager challenge, team challenge, or one of the many other challenges, HealthyWage provides a competitive but attainable environment to lose weight.
Financial incentives can keep you coming back to participate again and the "yo yo rule" established by HealthyWage will try to help you lose the weight and keep it off for the long term. You can earn decent money with the referral program if you have other people in your social circle that would be interested in signing up for the program too.
HealthyWage could be a great program for people who want to lose extra poundage while winning money being self-motivated is a key element of success in this program.
Make a HealthyWager Today!
Tyler DiGiovanni
Author